In keeping with the current spate of free streams available, Musical America will post its archived reviews of the original productions. Here is George Loomis’s review of the Carmen the Met is currently streaming on its website, originally … » Read

Washington, D.C.-based Opera Lafayette’s highly welcome production of Beethoven’s Leonore , seen on March 4 at Hunter College’s Kaye Playhouse, gave Beethoven enthusiasts much food for thought. Even the title raised an issue. … » Read

LONDON—The U.K.’s dearth of Fidelio s is at an end. It’s been years since the last sighting of Beethoven’s only opera, but to mark the 250th anniversary of his birth three major new stagings are scheduled, none more hotly … » Read

BOSTON--Unlikely as it seems, Mitch McConnell launched a feminist rallying cry. “Nevertheless, she persisted,” he said sarcastically of Elizabeth Warren, as she tried to read a letter by Coretta Scott King on the Senate floor. (The … » Read

Canadian director François Girard came to prominence at the Metropolitan Opera as the result of a single production,  Parsifal,  in 2013. Primarily known for his work in film, Girard has had little experience in other opera … » Read

LOS ANGELES—Mounting an opera is complicated, and Yuval Sharon’s company The Industry makes it even more so, on purpose. Sweet Land , its latest attempt to push out the walls of the opera house and sprawl into the surrounding … » Read

The San Francisco Symphony’s Esa-Pekka Salonen era hasn’t officially begun. Yet Salonen, who was named the organization’s Music Director Designate last December, has already begun putting his indelible stamp on the orchestra. … » Read

VIENNA – This is a city awash in the Beethoven anniversary. No surprise there, since he lived in 60 locations in the area during his last 35 years and composed some of his biggest works for local music institutions, all nine symphonies … » Read

At first glance, the New York Philharmonic’s program on February 20, conducted by music director Jaap van Zweden looked unusual: A group of contemporary songs, including two by Icelandic singer Björk, sung by Renée Fleming … » Read

When the local critic advises that the best way to experience Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades at Chicago’s Civic Opera House is “simply to close your eyes and listen, for the music-making hardly could have sounded … » Read